Father and Son
++ Iacon ++ Gleaming gold, silver and blue as far as the eye can see: the capital of Cybertron itself can be breathtaking to behold. Architecture both old and modern reflect a sense of stately order as well as artistic beauty, with gentle arches, gilded domes and spiraling towers that rise into the skyline. Even the walkpaths and roads are copper and bronze, the maintenance workers here diligently tending to them to prevent any kind of rust and corrosion. The city itself almost seems alive, with glowing power conduits in circuit pathways running along the streets and buildings, powering external lights and glowing holomatter signs. Cyan-colored crystal and glass windows reflect the hue of the sky in day, or glow from internal lighting at night. Populated mostly by high caste and above, Iacon is the seat of Cybertron's government, military and intellectual class. At the end of the main road into Iacon is Trion Square, which features an enormous video screen, every bit as big as a combiner, constantly flickering with news feeds, state-sponsored messages and advertisements. Translucentia Heights, the most elite residential area on Cybertron, is nestled into a corner of Iacon's living quarters. Energon refineries, technoversites, merchant plazas, a nurturing creche and even a nature preserve fall within the massive polity's boundaries, making Iacon one of the few completely self-sufficient cities on the planet. Contents: Sixshot Exodus and Panacea's Flat Nexis Wheeljack's Workshop Exits: NE Heights N Headquarters NW of Records E Tyrest S Cronum SW Decagon W Nyon Lost. He is lost. Most certainly, he knows Iacon, but he is lost in another way. There is no Prime. Zeta, dead, and he, believing himself responsible. Without a Prime to protect, Quickswitch is without purpose, without a master. The sixchanger morosely tours Iacon, aimless and searching... "I wondered when I would finally find you, Quickswitch," a familiar voice comes out of nowhere. The source of the voice can be easily found as the form of Sixshot comes stepping out of the shadows, "Infact its better then I did then any fool that may still be out to shed any Autobots energon." For the moment he doesn't appear to be any threat, which is proven even further by last statement, "its been too long, son." Quickswitch /knows/ this voice, right down to the core of his spark. It lifts him right out of his depressive fugue and all of him stops, turns to the voice, to the shadows, to Sixshot. He speaks one word in return, breaking into a huge smile as he does, "Father...!" a pause, "It's been so long! I wondered what had happened to you." Sixshot's faceplate opens to reveal a smile as he makes his way over to Quickswitch saying, "Far too long but still good to see you.", he studies the other mech for a moment before adding, "To be honest I did not wish to abandon you like that. But whappened to Master Yoketron and other reasons made my choice clear. I trust you understand that, yet if you have questions, well ask them." Yes, the choice.. The choice to ABANDON him?! Rage flashes within him for just a fleeting moment, flashes in his green-lensed optics. "Left me to be studied and trained like a wolf and...and..." Quickswitch's hands raise to his face, then, he lowers them, another smile dares creep its way into his face and voice, "It's good to see you too, father.. I've missed you so much," Quickswitch reaches out to clap Sixshot on the shoulder. His moods, so fleeting, "We were worried, man!" 'We'? An indicator that something else is very wrong with the sixchanger in light of all that's happened to him, but he doesn't seem to notice, "What happened after you left?" Left me. A touch of sorrow. Sixshot doesn't even raise an optic ridge at his son's outburst and allows him to come close, "You have the right to be angered by what I did though little choice I had. What the Council did to us along with not wanting to investigate what happened Master Yoketron was wrong!" He doesn't push the mech away as he locks optics with Quickwitch saying, "I went to avenge him but never found any clues to identity of the killer. Looking back it was too late to try to free you from whatever they planned on doing, something I still regret to this day but I felt if I went back I would lose my identity." Lowering his head he shakes it saying, "What the old government did to our society was never right, especially when they used things like empurata and worse, shadowplay. I went to find my path, which led me to Kaon." Quickswitch finds himself nodding to his father, "I agree with you," he says acidly, "After you were gone they did /unspeakable/ things to me," unconsciously, he reaches up to touch the back of his neck, "They bore /holes/ into me with needles. Did something to me, and yet, I feel just the same." He doesn't speak the word. Shadowplay. Mnemnosurgery. Did Quickswitch lose his identity..? The Autobot wonders, "I know an empurata..." Quickswitch says absently, but loses the train of thought, "You're right, Sixshot. Man, you're so right. But--my place is--or was--with the Prime. I--I don't know why. But--...That is my purpose," he touches a digit to his chin and his optics dim a moment. Quickswitch's darting thoughts lead to many trains of thought at once. "Unfortunately if what has been learned is true, the last Primes you chose to follow were both false. Hard to believe yet the proof is that the object that was in Zeta's chest was not the true Matrix," Sixshot's head raises back up to look into his son's eyes, his optics flashing green behind the red lenses. Taking note of the change in Quickswitch he takes a step back saying, "You've been following a lie like nany for so many years! Yet now heres the chance for you to look down and see if its time to take a turn down a different path or will you now stand by the memorial to be its silent guardian until another comes to claim to be a Prime. Even if its another false one." "False Prime..?" Quickswitch murmurs, and the emotions he feels are like a skewer to the spark, "I--We--don't know.." he shakes his head, voice full of doubt and fear, "Without a Prime, I'm lost," DAMN them for what they died to me! A flash of insight. Again, rage erupts throughout the sixchanger. He looks to the other, "...It is my place to stand vigil. Until the new Prime is found... And I will see to it to know whether this Prime is a false one," grief, too, steals onto Quickswitch's features, "I want to follow where you've gone," he says earnestly, thoughts turning back to Kaon, "What happened in Kaon?" he asks, voice again quiet, searching. "Originally I was there to keep out of sight of the Council, dispatching whatever agents they did dare to come find me. At times questioning them if they knew anything about what I left behind. Course the answers were never clear," Sixshot replies, optics dimming for a moment before flashing again as he says, "The city was full of those that the Senate looked down up and the Functionists left to do the most basic labor without much in return. There I found my way to the Forge which was back then ran by Clench who was a criminal more interested in his bloodsport then anything. I didn't think I'd find others like myself but I did including one you should well by now, Megatron, the mech who chose to change how the world worked." "You mean," and the son shakes his head, denial, sheer denial and knowing all in one, "--you're a Decepticon?!" Shock. Disbelief. Confusion. Sorrow. Rage. Denial. "I'm surprised you didn't learn this before now. I was part of the attack on one of the Institute facilities years back," Sixshot replied as he remains focused on Quickswitch, "Do not tell me they kept you so close to guard their ideals they never let you know that I'd been sighted? That not one Autobot spoke to you on such things?" "No one did," Quickswitch's features quiver with the rapid glut of emotions. He speaks quietly, almost whispering in disbelief. He clenches his fists, "Not one of them!!" he roars, grieved, "Sixshot.. you can't be a Decepticon," and Quickswitch steps back as if to ward himself off of the affliction, "I must KILL Decepticons--" --KILL HIM NOW-- "NO!!!" he cries against the truth and against the inner directive, "I won't kill you. I won't do it, father!" The sixchanger backs away and finally runs, transforming to jet mode and blasting off, to be alone, to process this. And, to grieve. Sixshot is silent as he watches Quickswitch fly off, sending the blaster he pulled out back into subspace. In a way he's glad he didn't have to take aim at the other mech. Yet deep down he know he will have to someday saying to himself as his faceplate closes, "What did they do to you?" He doesn't give chase as he makes his way down the street, tranforming to speeder/apc mode.